We will march on Islamabad come what may: KP CM

DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Friday expressed serious concern over the installation of metal spikes on roads within the territorial jurisdiction of the province, terming it a highly alarming and dangerous development.
Addressing a press conference at the Chief Minister’s House, the chief minister questioned whether a deliberate effort had been set in motion to disconnect Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the rest of the country.
“The question is whether a deliberate effort has now been set in motion to disconnect Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the rest of Pakistan,” he said.
Mr Afridi said that on the one hand a narrative had been promoted that Pakistan faced no threat from India but from the other three provinces, while on the other, the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had continuously been portrayed as terrorists and uncivilised.
“The installation of spikes on roads within the province is an extremely dangerous extension of the same narrative. However, these spikes will ultimately become the final nail in the coffin of their artificial system,” he said.
He made it clear that Pakistan would not be allowed to disintegrate. “Pakistan will not break, and we will protect Pakistan,” he added.
The chief minister also expressed concern over incidents in which government personnel from another province had entered Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and engaged in physical confrontations with provincial officials. “The question is whether confidence in the administration and police of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been lost, or whether an administration and police force from another province is now being introduced into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.
Referring to curbs on media coverage, Mr Afridi said the province’s parliamentary leader and information minister had been prevented from appearing on television, while reports had been received that media organisations were being stopped from covering the engagements of the chief minister.

He thanked journalists for continuing to cover his public engagements.
“The policies being imposed by those who have taken control of the state are extremely dangerous,” he observed.
The chief minister alleged that provincial ministers were being abducted by individuals in plain clothes and that incidents of firing and attempted abductions had also occurred.
“These actions are taking the country in an extremely dangerous direction,” he said.
Reiterating his resolve to go ahead with the long march, Mr Afridi said the march would take place under all circumstances and would remain peaceful.
“Put spikes on the roads, place containers or even fire bullets, we will come out. And when we do, we will put an end, once and for all, to this corrupt system and these illegitimate rulers. Our struggle is peaceful and constitutional,” he declared.
He urged state institutions and those in positions of authority not to allow political confrontation to descend to a level where they would be unable to face one another with dignity.
Referring to the closure of the Civil Secretariat on grounds of a security threat, the chief minister said he had personally visited the Secretariat and taken a walk there, and had also offered prayers at the mosque which had reportedly been closed on security grounds.
“There was no threat. The entire provincial system was shut down through fabricated threats,” he said.
Mr Afridi pointed out that the Secretariat was located within the cantonment area, which was under the control of security and law-enforcement agencies. “If a terrorist can reach the Secretariat from within the cantonment, then what purpose are the law-enforcement agencies being paid salaries for?” he asked.
He said the primary focus of those behind the situation appeared to be targeting KP ministers and eliminating the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf. He added that any expectation that such tactics would intimidate him or force him to abandon his objectives was misplaced.
Addressing the people and officers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the chief minister said: “Do not be afraid and do not panic. As long as your Chief Minister stands with you, no one will be able to cast an evil eye on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”